Vibratory casting tumbling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A vibratory casting tumbling apparatus of the type including a generally U-shaped hopper tipped on its side which may receive castings to be vibrated to shake loose sand particles therefrom. A first vibration imparting device is associated with the hopper so as to advance castings from along the tipped side thereof into the center of the hopper to be tumbled. A second vibratory device is associated with the hopper and is arranged with respect to the center of the gravity of the hopper and the location of the first vibratory device is such that, when energized, castings within the hopper will be advanced out of the tipped side for use in emptying the hopper upon completion of a tumbling operation.

United States'Patent [1 1 Musschoot [451 Feb. 26, 1974 VIBRATORY CASTING TUMBLING APPARATUS Albert Musschoot, 777 Lake Zurich [76] Inventor:

Rd., Barrington, 11]. 60010 [22] Filed: Apr. 21, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 246,231 I 52 115.0. 51/14, 51/163 [51] Int. Cl. B24c 3/30 [58] Field of Search 51/13, 14, 163

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,618,267 9/1971 Huber 51/163 2,422,786 6/1947 Keefer 51/13 3,157,004 11/1964 Musschootfl'. 51/163 X 2,563,084 8/1951 Turnbull 51/13 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 686,169 6/1949 Great Britain Primary ExaminerHarold D. Whitehead Attorney, Agent, or FirmHofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & McCord [57] ABSTRACT A vibratory casting tumbling apparatus of the type including a generally U-shaped hopper tipped on its side which may receive castings to be vibrated to shake loose sand particles therefrom. A first vibration irnparting device is associated with the hopper so as to advance castings from along the tipped side thereof into the center of the hopper to be tumbled; A second vibratory device is associated with the hopper and is arranged with respect to the center of the gravity of the hopper and the location of the first vibratory device is such that, when energized, castings within the hopper will be advanced out of the tipped side for use in emptying the hopper upon completion of a tumbling operation. i

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures I l VIBRATORY CASTING TUMBLING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to material handling of vibratory devices such as shake-out devices used to separate sand from castings or the like.

Many foundry operations require shake-out equipment for separating sand from castings. Such equipment will normally include a surface for receiving and supporting the castings and for tumbling the castings to thereby dislodge sand particles therefrom.

One commonly used form of such equipment includes a U-shaped hopper which is generally tipped on one side so one of the legs thereof is virtually horizontal. A vibratory mechanism is associated with the hopper and is such as to vibrate castings placed on the end of the tipped leg toward the center of the hopper where the castings will tend to climb the wall defined by the other leg which is generally upright. The castings will then be tumbled to dislodge the sand therefrom. Frequently, such equipment further includes a shot blast device for directing shot at the castings while they are being tumbled to further assist in the dislodg ing of sand particles from the castings.

The difficulty of use attendant such apparatus occurs when the shake-out operation is completed. At such time, the castings have to be removed from the hopper and conventionally a crane-like mechanism for inverting the hopper to discharge the castings therefrom is required. Such equipment is expensive and complicated and thereby detracts from the efficiency and economy of use of this type of shake-out equipment.

Another commonly used form of shake-out equipment includes a conveyor configured to define a U- shaped chamber with a portion of the conveyor run extending generally horizontally. During operation, the conveyor is driven so as to drive castings thereon inwardly into the chamber to effect shake-out. When the shake-out operation is complete, the direction of conveyor movement is reversed to empty the chamber.

The principal difficulty with this type of equipment resides in the fact that a conventional conveyor is employed in an abrasive environment with the result that cost of operation is substantial and the cost of fabrication is extremely expensive in order to preclude rapid deterioration due to the abrasive environment. Moreover, motor reversing circuitry for high horsepower motors is required and increases the cost of such equipment.

SUMMARY OFTI-IE INVENTION It is the principal object of the invention to provide a new and improved material treatment device of the type having a material receiving surface which is dead ended by a partition or the like. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide such an apparatus with improved means of inexpensive and simple construction for removing castings from the dead ended portion of the apparatus upon completion of the material treatment operation.

The exemplary embodiment of the invention achieves the foregoing object through a construction including a generally U-shaped hopper having one leg extending generally horizontally and defining an entrance and exit section for castings. The opposite leg of the hopper extends generally vertically and defines a dead end section whereat the material to be treated is tumbled and retained during operation. A first vibratory mechanism is associated with the hopper so as to impart vibration thereto in such a way that castings placed on the entrance-exit section of the hopper will be advanced to the dead end section for treatment. A second vibratory mechanism is also associated with the hopper and is arranged with respect to the first vibratory mechanism and the center of gravity of the hopper such that, upon energization, it will act to vibrate the hopper in such a way that castings'will be advanced from the dead end section along the entrance-exit section to be discharged therefrom.

According to the preferred embodiment, both vibratory mechanisms include eccentric weights driven by electric motors for simplicity, economy and minimum maintenance.

The invention also contemplates the use of a conventional shot wheel or the like fordirecting shot particles toward the dead end section of the hopper to assist in the separation operation.

Preferably, a'portion of the dead end section of the hopper is imperforate so that a certain amount of free sand and shot will remain in the hopper with the castings for the purpose of deburring the castings (accomplished principally by the resident-shot) and to break up lumps of sand free from the castings into small particles so that the sand may be reused. Adjacent the imperforate section are perforated sections through which finely divided sand and excess shot may be discharged during the shake-out operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a casting tumbling apparatus made according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the apparatus indicating the direction of vibratory force application during a DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Before entering a detailed discussion of structure employed in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, to assist in understanding the invention, it should be observed that it has been discovered by the applicant that the direction of force application to a material handling device by a vibratory mechanism of a particular type can be altered bythe selective operation of the vibratory device. As generally alluded to, a particular type of vibratory device is required and specifically, one that generates bi-directional vibratory forces at two spaced points. The direction of application of force to the material handling device will then be along a line drawn between the mid-point of a line extending between the two points of force generation and the center of gravity i of the material handling device. Thus, by applying force at one of the points only, one direction of force application can be obtained while by applying force at both of the points, a completely different direction of force application can be obtained.

This phenomenon is used herein to change the conveying direction of the material handling device.

One form of an apparatus embodying the foregoing principle is illustrated in the drawings and with reference to FIG. 1, is seen to include a generally U-shaped hopper, generally designated 10, having a treatment surface 12 formed of steel plate or the like. The surface 12 includes a generally horizontally directed leg 14 and a generally vertically directed leg 16. The leftmost end of the leg 14 serves as an entrance and exit point for the material to be treated, generally castings, while the vertically directed leg 16 defines a dead end portion 18 at the base of the U into and from which castings may be conveyed from the entrance-exit portion 14. During a shake-out operation, the castings will be retained and tumbled in the dead end portion 18.

The hopper includes upstanding side walls 20 (only one of which is shown) and interposed between the side walls and supporting the plate defining the surface 12 may be a plurality of channel beams 22 for rigidifying purposes.

The apparatus may further include a conventional shot wheel, shown schematically at 24, for directing shot toward the dead end section 18 of the hopper 10 to impinge upon castings therein to assist in dislodging sand therefrom as well as a suitable housing including an access panel.

The lower end of the leg 16 may be provided with a plurality of perforations or apertures 26 through which finely divided sand and shot may pass. The base of the hopper 10 is imperforate while the leg 14 is also provided with perforations or apertures 28 for the same purpose as the apertures 26. It is of some significance to note that the apertures 26 terminate somewhat above the lowermost extent of the hopper. As a result, a certain amount of the sand and the shot will be retained in the base thereof and will deburr the castings during the shake-out operation. Additionally, with respect to the sand, it has been found that individual discrete particles of sand on a vibrating surface can climb a steeper angle than can lumps. Thus, by terminating the apertures 26 at a level above the lowermost point, only discrete particles may exit the hopper and the lumps will remain therein to be broken up into discrete particles. As a result, a'substantial portion of the sand may be reused. To this end, another conveyor, not shown, may underlie the hopper 10 to receive sand and shot particles passing through the apertures 26 and 28.

The hopper 10 may be supported in the position illustrated relative to a subjacent surface 30 by means of elongated supports 32 (only one of which is shown) extending along the sides thereof in approximately the same vertical planes as the end walls 20. The upper surface of'the supports 32 may support isolation springs 34 which, in turn, may be secured to horizontally extending portions 36 of mounting brackets 38 secured to respective ones of the side walls 20.

A first vibratory mechanism, generally designated 40, is secured in any suitable fashion to the leg 16. A second vibratory mechanism, generally designated 42, is secured to the underside of the leg 14.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be noted that, with respect to the center of gravity of the overall construction denoted by the legend CG, the two vibratory mechanisms 40 and 42 are on opposite sides thereof. In addition, the vibratory mechanism 40 is above the mechanism 42. In the particular application shown, this relationship is essential although it may vary depending upon modification to the geometry of the material handling device. The importance of the relation will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Both mechanisms 40 and 42 are generally similar and each consists of an electrical motor 44 having a rotary output shaft 46 mounting weighted eccentrics 48. Preferably, the motors employed in the two vibratory imparting mechanisms rotate in opposite directions so that sideways forces are effectively counterbalanced. Each motor may be provided with a suitable control circuit, as, for example, an off-on switch 50 schematically illustrated in circuit with the motor 44 of the second vibratory mechanism 42.

When it is desired to initiate a shake-out operation, the first vibratory mechanism 40 may be energized and castings located on the entrance-exit portion defined by the leg 14 of the hopper 10. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, a vibratory force will be applied to the hopper 10 by operation of the first vibratory mechanism 40 generally along the line associated by arrow 52. It will be appreciated that castings will be conveyed inwardly toward the dead end portion 18 and retained and tumbled therein during the shake-out operation. At this time, the shot wheel 24 may also be operated.

During operation of the vibratory mechanism 40, castings will be tumbled upon one another in the dead ended portion 18 and sand dislodged therefrom. In addition, that shot that remains in the imperforate portion will deburr castings as well.

When the shake-out operation has been completed and it is desired to remove the castings from the hopper l0, appropriate manipulation of the switch 50 is accomplished to energize the motor 44 and thus the second vibratory mechanism 42. This will result in the direction of force application being changed in accordance with the principles enunciated previously. Specifically, the force application will be in a direction defined by a line extending through the center of gravity of the apparatus and the mid-point of a line passing through the two points of force generation, here, the shafts 46, of the motors employed in each of the vibration imparting devices 40 and 42. This relation is illustrated in FIG. 3 and direction of force application is indicated by an arrow designated 54. As a result, it will be appreciated that the castings will be advanced to the left as viewed in FIG. 3 toward the exit portion 14 from which they may be discharged.

It will be observed that the mechanism employed is extremely simple and economical in contrast to cranelike structures previously employed for emptying the hoppers.

Similarly, it will be observed that apparatus made according to the invention is more economical to fabricate than conveyor type structures mentioned previously in that the casting support structure includes no moving parts in an abrasive environment and the fact that vibratory equipment can be operated more economically than can conventional conveyor type equipment by reason of lesser power costs.

Moreover, no sophisticated control devices are necessary, it only being necessary to energize or deenergize the second vibration imparting means 42 to shift from one mode of operation to the other. Sirnilarly, no expensive interconnections, either electrical or mechanical, need be made between the motors of the vibration imparting devices inasmuch as it has been found that almost immediately upon energization of the second vibratory mechanism 42, the same will operate in synchronism with the first vibratory mechanism 40.

l claim:

1. A vibratory material treatment device comprising, a U-shaped hopper at least partially tipped to one side thereof and adapted to receive material to be treated along said side, a first pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on one side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a first motor for rotating said weights for applying a first vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the material will advance from said one side toward the base of the hopper; a second pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on the other side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a second motor for rotating said second pair of eccentric weights for applying a second vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the resultant force from said first and second forces will advance material from said base toward said side and out of said hopper; and means for energizing said first motor to advance the material from said one side toward the base of the hopper and means for energizing both motors simultaneously to move said material from the base toward said side.

2. A vibratory casting tumbling apparatus for dislodging adhered sand from newly formed castings and for separating the dislodged sand from the castings, comprising, a generally U-shaped hopper, said hopper being at least partially tipped such that one side thereof is generally upright, the bottom thereof defines a dead end section for receiving and restraining castings introduced into said hopper and directed toward said one side, and the other side defines a casting introduction portion; a first pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on one side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a first motor for rotating said weights for applying a first vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that castings with adhered sand will be advanced into said dead end section to be tumbled to dislodge the sand therefrom and to break lumps of dislodged sand into discrete particles; means in said one side above said dead end section whereby dislodged sand in discrete particles may exit said hopper for subsequent reuse; a second pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on the other side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a second motor for rotating said second pair of eccentric weights for applying a second vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the resultant force from said first 'and second forces will advance castings from said dead end section toward the casting introduction portion; and means for energizing said first motor to advance the castings with adhered sand into said dead end section and means for energizing both motors simultaneously to move said castings from the dead end section toward the casting introduction portion. 

1. A vibratory material treatment device comprising, a U-shaped hopper at least partially tipped to one side thereof and adapted to receive material to be treated along said side, a first pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on one side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a first motor for rotating said weights for applying a first vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the material will advance from said one side toward the base of the hopper; a second pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on the other side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a second motor for rotating said second pair of eccentric weights for applying a second vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the resultant force from said first and second forces will advance material from said base toward said side and out of said hopper; and means for energizing said first motor to advance the material from said one side toward the base of the hopper and means for energizing both motors simultaneously to move said material from the base toward said side.
 2. A vibratory casting tumbling apparatus for dislodging adhered sand from newly formed castings and for sepaRating the dislodged sand from the castings, comprising, a generally U-shaped hopper, said hopper being at least partially tipped such that one side thereof is generally upright, the bottom thereof defines a dead end section for receiving and restraining castings introduced into said hopper and directed toward said one side, and the other side defines a casting introduction portion; a first pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on one side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a first motor for rotating said weights for applying a first vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that castings with adhered sand will be advanced into said dead end section to be tumbled to dislodge the sand therefrom and to break lumps of dislodged sand into discrete particles; means in said one side above said dead end section whereby dislodged sand in discrete particles may exit said hopper for subsequent reuse; a second pair of rotatably mounted eccentric weights located on the other side of the center of gravity of the hopper, a second motor for rotating said second pair of eccentric weights for applying a second vibratory force to said hopper in a direction such that the resultant force from said first and second forces will advance castings from said dead end section toward the casting introduction portion; and means for energizing said first motor to advance the castings with adhered sand into said dead end section and means for energizing both motors simultaneously to move said castings from the dead end section toward the casting introduction portion. 